


At the Far Reaches of the Universe

by justkindaherechilling



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Prince Lance (Voltron), Angst, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Galran Prince Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Smut, Prince Keith (Voltron), Prince Lance (Voltron), Royal Drama, Shady Business, This Is STUPID
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-22 19:01:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30043281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justkindaherechilling/pseuds/justkindaherechilling
Summary: Some self indulgent NONSENSE
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura & Lotor (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

God he was bored.

Classical music drifted through the open windows. Soft chatter floated up to his ears. Couples walked arm in arm through the gardens. Fairy lights and lanterns pleasantly lit the pathways. His parents had gone all out tonight. Too bad all the charm was lost on him.

Keith leaned his elbows on the balcony railing and closed his eyes. Inhaled deeply. Lilac and late summer. Then a more familiar scent invaded his nostrils. Cinnamon and that aftershock of mint. “Yurak.”

“I thought I told you not to call me that.”

“But it just rolls off the tongue!” Lance McClain grinned toothily at him. Keith fought not to roll his eyes.

“What do you want Lance?”

“I can’t come pass some time with an old friend?”

“We aren’t friends.”

“Sure we aren’t.” Lance mirrored Keith’s pose. “And I’m bored. This party is boring.”

Keith smirked a bit. Lance was one of the few people his age at this party. Shiro was off somewhere else in the galaxy, schmoozing. He had wanted to go with him but his parents refused. Said he was needed here. And a hell of a lot he was doing. Hiding from all the people. “Shouldn’t you be out on the dance floor?” Lance asked.

“Probably.”

After a bit Lance tipped his head slightly to the side. Took Keith in. “You look good.”

Keith glanced down at his outfit. Tight black pants. White shirt with overly billowy shoulders and sleeves. His mother had braided his hair up away from his face. Dangly earrings that hung nearly to his shoulders. He shrugged.

“You could take the compliment.”

“I can’t remember the last time you gave me a genuine compliment.”

“I _just_ did.” Lance rolled his eyes and turned his eyes back to the gardens. Keith took a moment to study his counterpart. White pants. Blue shirt with a truly unsightly deep V-neck. That slender golden crown that sat nestled in the brown locks. “You’re too uptight, Kogane.”

He looked away before Lance noticed him watching. He looked better than Keith. But then again he always did. More of a Prince than Keith ever was. Had been since they were kids. “Is your sister here?”

Lance smirked. Gave Keith a quick once over. “Why, you interested in her?”

Keith groaned and blushed a bit. “I was just trying to make conversation.”

“And I’m teasing you.”

He ignored Lance. Wound his fingers together and squeezed. “Yes. Allura is here.” Lance answered. His voice a pitch quieter, “She’s bummed that Lotor isn’t though.”

“He’s off with Shiro. I thought everyone knew that.”

“My sister is painfully clueless.” Lance grinned, “She had a new gown prepared especially for tonight.”

“I’m sorry it will go to waste.”

“Oh don’t be so sure. Lotor will hear stories about it for sure.”

The pair fell silent. Much as he hated to admit it Keith was grateful for Lance’s presence. He’d been a little lonely. Normally he could suffer through balls like these with Shiro and Adam. But they were both gone.

Lucky bastards.

“Keith! There you are!” His mother’s voice sounded behind them. “Acxa is here. You’re supposed to be dancing with her!”

Clenching his teeth Keith straightened his spine. Forced a reluctant smile onto his face. “Sorry mother. Needed a bit of a fresh air.”

She rolled her eyes mightily. “Don’t try to lie to me my love. You aren’t very good at it.” She noticed Lance. Smiled at him. “Lance. Don’t you look dashing!”

“Thank you ma’am.”

“Perhaps you can see my son back into the party. He has the tendency to wander off.”

Lance smiled and bowed slightly at the waist. “Of course ma’am.”

“Thank you.” She pinched Keith’s cheek, “Now please, just dance with Acxa. She’s a lovely girl.”

“Yes mother.”

As soon as she had turned the corner Keith deflated again. Tugged at his shirt. “Acxa, huh?”

Ignoring Lance he stalked back toward the party. He heard Lance laughing behind him. “Oh come on, Keith. She’s gorgeous.”

“I know she is.” Keith really didn’t want to be talking about this. Not with Lance. His parents considered themselves matchmakers. They were an odd enough pair themselves. His father human and his mother Galran. He and Shiro were an odd mix of both of them. But they were respected princes. And their parents wanted Keith to marry a respected princess. Which Acxa was.

But Keith didn’t _want_ to marry a princess. He didn’t want to marry anyone. What was wrong with him staying alone? He wasn’t first in line to the throne anyways. That was Shiro’s burden. And Shiro had Adam. So who cared?

Lance was still trailing along by Keith’s side. “Don’t you have some girl to charm?”

“Once you’re happily dancing with Acxa I’ll leave you alone.”

“I don’t need an escort.” Keith bit out.

“I’m not escorting you. We are just two friends enjoying a party.”

Keith ruffled with annoyance. Stopped walking. Leveled Lance with a look. “I’m not enjoying this.”

Lance watched Keith for a bit. Reached out and adjusted Keith’s shirt. “Have a nice dance.” With that he drifted off into the party.

***

Keith had known Lance since they were little. They were the same age. So their parents thought they would make good friends. And for a while they had. Keith liked to play with his older brother but as Shiro got older the more responsibilities were placed on his shoulders. So he wasn’t around all the time.

He could still remember the day he was introduced to the young prince and princess. Held on desperately to his mother’s hand. He knew Alfor and Melenor. Everyone in the _galaxy_ knew who they were. It was an honor for them to come visit Keith and his families’ corner of the stars. “This is my youngest son, Keith.” Krolia was saying, “He’s just six.”

Melenor smiled softly at him. Bent down to place a hand on her son’s back. “Hello Keith. This is Lance and his sister Allura. They are both six as well.”

Lance grinned. He was missing one of his front teeth. “Hi Keith!”

Keith glanced up at his mother, asking for permission. She stroked a hand through his hair and nodded. So he turned wide eyes back to the taller boy. “Hello Lance. Hello Allura.”

The princess looked at him for the first time. Stopped playing with the large flower attached to the hip of her dress. “Hi.”

“Allura.” Melenor shook her head slightly.

Krolia let go of Keith’s hand. Gestured behind her. “My husband was predisposed at another conference, but he shall arrive soon. I’ve prepared some refreshments in the meantime.”

Alfor and Melenor bent to say some quiet words to their children. Then followed Keith’s mother out of the room. Keith grasped his arms together behind his back. He was horribly shy. Meeting new people was hard for him.

Lance pushed at Allura, causing her to glare at him. “Stop it Lance!” He shoved her again, clearly challenging his sister. With an angry huff she stalked over to a window. “I hate being the only girl!”

“You’re a terrible girl anyway.” Lance quipped.

“Oh shut up!”

Keith watched the exchange with wide eyes. He and Shiro weren’t really like this. But Shiro was seven years older. Lance’s dancing blue eyes took in Keith once more. “Show me around?” He asked.

“Oh um. Sure.”

Allura didn’t move from her spot by the window. “Is she coming?”

Shrugging Lance replied, “Probably not. She’s angry that we’re here.”

“You don’t know _anything_ Lance.”

So the two young boys moved through the castle. Keith awkwardly explaining the rooms and their functions. They were outside in the gardens when Lance asked, “Where’s your room?”

Keith blushed. “Oh. It’s this way. Its really boring though.”

The wind ruffled through Lance’s hair. It was longer than Keith’s. He was a little jealous. His mom made him keep his hair short. “I have to share a room with Allura.” Lance said, clearly annoyed, “Like we live in a _castle_. Why do we have to share?”

Not knowing what to say Keith shrugged. Pulled at the clasp that held his cape around his neck. He couldn’t wait to take this stupid thing off. Lance followed behind him, humming quietly. He was also wearing a cape. Light blue. Matched his eyes. Even at six he looked elegant. Keith was still fumbling and awkward.

Eventually Keith stopped outside a door. “Well, uh. This is my room.”

“Cool.” Lance pushed through the door before Keith was ready. He followed the other boy inside. Desperately hoped he didn’t leave anything embarrassing out in the open. “This is nice.”

“Uh. Thanks?” He went and sat on his bed. His room was just another room.

Lance moved over to the wall opposite the bed. Touched the number of blades hanging on the wall. “What are these?”

“Oh. My mom is a member of The Blade of Marmora. I’m training to be one too.”

“I thought only Galra could join the blades.”

Keith felt his brows furrow. “I am Galran.”

“ _Half_ Galran.”

He got off the bed and stalked over to wall. Grabbed a small knife. Watched the symbol glow purple and the blade expand to its full size. Glared at Lance. “The blades only respond to those that are worthy.”

Lance shrugged. “My bad.”

Thoroughly annoyed Keith gently put the blade back. Yanked the cape off his shoulders and dropped it over a chair. He hated it when people brought up his heritage. He presented more human than Galran. He did have fangs and sometimes his eyes would glow. Other Galran kids teased him about it all the time. Made him angry on purpose, knowing full well the fangs would pop. Seemed like Lance would be the same as all those other kids.

“Hey. I’m sorry.” Lance offered, “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“I’m not _sad_.”

“You look sad.”

“Whatever.”

Lance played the hem of his shirt. Wrestled with something. “I’m not full Altean either.”

Keith glanced at him sharply. “What?”

“I’m not full Altean.”

“But your parents are Altean’s.”

Lance glared this time. “I _know_ that. But they aren’t technically my parents.”

Keith just blinked. He had no idea what Lance was getting at. So he crossed his arms over his chest and said nothing.

“I’m adopted.”

“But I thought you and Allura were twins!”

“I guess my mom and dad had been trying to have kids for a long time. Nothing was working so…” Lance shrugged. Glared at the floor, “They found me when I was just a baby. After they brought me home they found out my mom was gunna have Allura. They didn’t introduce us to the public until after Allura was born. People just assume.”

“Oh.” Keith titled his head and looked at Lance carefully. Now that he really _looked_ he did realize Lance didn’t really look like either of his parents. His skin held the same dark hue as the rest of the family and his eyes were blue but the resemblance stopped there. His hair was dark brown whereas the rest of the family had white. His markings were blue and a bit dull. His cheekbones were already high and angular. Melenor and Allura had rounder faces. “I didn’t know.”

Shrugging Lance said, “No one is really supposed to.”

“So why tell me?”

“I thought you’d understand I guess. I’m half human too. I think.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t know anything about my birth parents.”

Keith went and sat next to Lance on the bed. Carefully reached out and grabbed one of Lance’s hands and held it tightly. They didn’t say anymore.

So a strange bond formed. Both in one another’s confidence. Keith never told anyone Lance’s secret. But Lance at least had someone he could truly be himself with. And Lance stood up for Keith when other kids bullied him.

They weren’t really _friends._ Not in Keith’s mind at least. But all the dumb parties his parents made him go to got a little more tolerable when Lance was there. So maybe he wasn’t half bad after all.

***

“You are still coming up short!” Ulaz moved his arm quickly and stopped Keith’s incoming blow. Grabbed Keith’s fist and twisted his arm around. Pinned Keith in one smooth motion.

Grunting Keith tapped at Ulaz’s hand until the older Galra finally let go. “You make your movements too obvious,” Ulaz said, “I know three steps ahead where you are trying to go.”

Keith sighed angrily and shook out his hair. “But I’ve been working on that!”

Grinning Ulaz said, “I’m sure you have my young prince.” He started to gather his things. “Let us stop here today.”

“We started an hour ago!” Keith glanced up from the cloth he was using to wipe his face, “And you’re going to be gone for a month.”

Ulaz smiled softly. “You seem rather strung out today Keith. We both know it makes training difficult.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“Don’t worry. Continue to work on your own. Thace will be coming back with me so we will begin your more advanced training then.” Ulaz put a gentle hand on Keith’s shoulder, “We both know you have what it takes to join the Blades. But you cannot force your entry. It will come at the right time.”

“Yes sir.”

Ulaz left Keith alone on the training floor. Glaring. He _was_ strung out. Shiro was going to be gone for another week. He kept extending his stay. And Keith missed his brother. Wanted to ask him for some advice. Krolia wouldn’t drop the Acxa topic. She saw Keith dancing with her at the ball last week and it cemented the union in her eyes.

And while Keith and Acxa might make a nice looking couple they had almost _nothing_ in common. Sure they were both half Galran. But Acxa didn’t seem interested in Keith. Or in anything. She looked horribly uncomfortable in her gown; while they danced she kept tugging at it. So she’d miss steps and Keith would scramble not to crush her toes. He tried all the small talk he could remember and none of it worked.

He couldn’t move away fast enough once the dance was over. Bowed hurriedly and sped to a dark corner. He had noticed Lance watching him. _Laughing_ at him.

So yeah. He was annoyed. Miserable. He thought extra training would take his mind off of it. It hadn’t.

Shoving his stuff into a bag he stalked through the castle. It was a pretty nice day. He should take Kosmo out for a romp. His big stupid space dog was one of the few happy points in his life. “Keith!”

“Oh, hey dad.”

“I thought you’d still be training.”

“Ulaz said I wasn’t up for it today.”

“Ah.” His father smiled up at him. Keith and Shiro were a bit taller than their father. Galra traits. “How was the ball?”

“The same.”

“Krolia said you danced with Acxa.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Because she made me dad.”

He laughed. Keith took a second to watch his father. Even after all these years much of the galaxy saw him as an outsider. He was the first human to work his way up to royal status. He started a new age for a lot of the galaxy. Humans were much more common now. Hence Shiro being engaged to Adam. Keith knew some other humans as well. Hunk, Pidge and Matt were a part of a delegation from Earth that helped out with trade business. And they were really nice.

His father didn’t ever really talk about his role in bringing about so much change. He’d met Krolia on Earth by accident. She had been looking for Voltron lions when her shipped malfunctioned and crashed. With her radio broken Krolia had no choice but it wait for someone to come find her. And someone did eventually, but not before she’d met Keith’s father.

And he hadn’t gone into space with her. Not at first. But they had fallen hard for each other. And Krolia was a princess, soon to be queen. No one was going to question her.

Keith wanted to be just like his father. Strong. Firm with a cool head. He got his temper from his mother. He wished he could control it better. “I did dance with Allura too.”

“So I heard. Her mother said she was in quite a mood.”

Keith shrugged. “Lotor wasn’t there.”

“Ah. Quite a determined young woman.”

Keith knew the only reason his parents and Allura’s parents weren’t trying to set them up was because of Allura’s affections for Lotor. And as far as gossip went Lotor felt the same way. But for some reason they wouldn’t _tell_ each other. Keith couldn’t figure out why. Hell if he ever felt that way about someone he’d be sure to tell them. Why suffer in silence?

“Did you get to talk with Lance?”

“Yeah. He was annoying. As usual.”

His father snorted. “I think you are little too uptight bud.” The slightest hint of his Southern accent slipped through. Even after all these years in space. Keith and Shiro had visited Earth a few times. It felt strange. To be surrounded by so many people that looked like him that is. Growing up he was surrounded by other Galra, Altean’s and various other alien races.

But the kids on Earth looked like Keith. Moved like him.

He vowed to spend more time on Earth in the future. Explore that side of his heritage. “Lance is annoying, dad.”

“You two used to be such good friends.”

“When we were kids maybe. He’s different now.”

“How so?”

Keith shrugged. He wasn’t good at… _feelings_. And he did have a lot of feelings when it came to Lance. Feelings he couldn’t explain. Because sure, they had been friends when they were little. Practically inseparable for a while. But as they had gotten older Lance drifted away from Keith and he couldn’t figure out why.

So Keith ignored it. Pretended that he didn’t care. Grew distant again. Tried to forget his first friend. “I don’t know, dad. He just is.”

“Well you are too. You’ve been very focused on your Blade training the past few years.”

Sighing he answered, “I know. But…”

“But what?”

“Its weird to think we used to be so close. I feel like I don’t know anything about him anymore.”

“You could try talking to him.”

That made Keith bristle. Yeah right. Sitting down with Lance, face to face to _talk_. Keith would rather shove a fork into his eye. Keith’s father patted his shoulder. “Well. Think about it. Shiro isn’t going to be around as much as he used to. I don’t want to see you so lonely.”

“Yeah, yeah. Ok.”

With a smile Keith’s father drifted away. He and his mother had countless meetings to get through the next few days. There was something unsettling going on in the further reaches of the galaxy. No one could quite figure out what it was.

Keith made his way back to his rooms. Found his massive dog sleeping in the middle of Keith’s bed. “Kosmo.” Keith said. Grinned as the dog’s ears perked before he woke up. Then Kosmo leapt off the bed and charged at Keith, crashing into his legs. “Hey buddy. Wanna go outside?”

The dog titled his head and wagged his tail excitedly. “Ok. Ok. Let’s go.” Keith quickly changed his clothes. All black, as usual. Then he followed his dog back through the castle and out into the vast gardens. Kosmo romped around happily, tongue hanging from his mouth.

He trailed along, a little ways behind. Kosmo found a stick and slammed into Keith’s legs with it. He obliged, chucking it as far as he could manage. He knew he’d be at this for a while. His dog had too much energy.

They were at the edges of the gardens now. When Keith was little his mother would tell him to be careful if he went beyond the gardens. She said the rest of the world wasn’t as kind. He had learned that the hard way.

A figure came into view. Sitting at a bench. Slouching a bit. Kosmo recognized whoever it was. Clamored for a spot on the persons lap. “Hey buddy.” A familiar voice said. Shit. It was Lance.

He couldn’t very well ignore Lance now. So he walked up to the bench. “Hi.”

Lance grinned up at him. “Haven’t seen Kosmo for a while. He’s _huge_.”

Right. When they were younger Lance and Keith would play with Kosmo for hours. Would come home covered in dirt and grass stains. “I think he’s still growing.” He thought for a moment. “I thought you would’ve gone home by now.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Lance rubbed a hand over the back of neck, “Your mom offered to let Allura and I stay for a few days. And Allura says she won’t leave until she gets to see Lotor so…” He shrugged.

Hesitantly Keith sat on the end of the bench. Still a fair amount of space between the two of them. This should be fine, right? Like his dad said. They used to be super close. Keith could do this. Converse. “Shiro sent us a blip this morning. He’s gunna be gone another week.”

Wearily Lance closed his eyes. “Great.”

“Yeah, sorry.” He threw the stick again. Kosmo tore after it quickly. Got distracted by something and disappeared over the hill. “Allura could always go find him.”

Lance opened one eye and snorted. “You’ve met my sister, right? She’s stubborn. She said it would make her seem desperate.”

“But staying here doesn’t?”

“I don’t try to question her logic.”

“Hm.” Keith wound his fingers together and leaned his elbows on his knees. “I could come up with some excuse to go see Shiro. Take her with me.”

“You’d do that for her?”

“I mean, sure. Allura is like a sister to me. And those two are stressing me the fuck out.”

Lance giggled. “There you go, cursing like a human.”

Keith flushed. A habit he had picked up from his dad. “It just slips out sometimes.”

“I never said it was a bad thing.”

He had to force himself to look away from Lance’s face. He had matured over the years. Lost the baby fat that had clung to cheeks well into his teenage years. His cheeks and jawbone were sharper now. He was taller than Keith when they were kids. But Keith was the tall one now. Sat a couple inches above the top of Lance’s head. Though Lance’s height was all in his legs. They were stretched out in front of him now, crossed at the ankle. His hair was pretty long, flowing down around his cheeks.

He was dressed pretty casually. Casual for a prince anyway. White shirt. Gray slacks. No crown encircling his head. Keith noticed he only wore the crown when they were in public. All part of the façade. 

“We’ll leave later today. Alfor sent word for us anyway.”

Lance always called his parents by their first names. Even when they were kids. Keith glanced at him. The setting sun caught in his hair. His Altean marks contrasted with his deep skin. Keith knew for a fact that they really only glowed when he was truly happy. Or really fucking nervous.

“What for?”

“I’m not sure. Alfor’s been in his lab constantly lately. We’ve hardly seen him.”

“My parents have been pretty swamped too.”

“Everyone is starting to get nervous about what’s going on in the outer systems.”

Keith crossed his arms over his chest. “Is there anything actually going on out there? I think everyone is just being paranoid.”

Shrugging Lance said, “Who knows? Better to be safe than sorry I guess.” After a beat he stood. Rubbing his hands down his thighs. “Well. See you around Kogane.”

“Um. Yeah, you too McClain.”

Lance set him a chilly glance. Then nodded and stalked back toward the castle.

Crap. Had Keith lost the privilege of using Lance’s actual last name? Embarrassed he yanked at his hair. Keith kept missing signals. This is why they didn’t talk anymore.

***

“I lied when I said I didn’t know anything about my birth parents.”

Keith looked up from his book. “What?” Lance and Allura were spending the week at Keith’s parents castle. Alfor and Melenor had to travel somewhere. Said it wasn’t fit for children. Whatever that meant.

Lance and Keith had gotten a bit closer in the couple months they had known one another. Keith actually looked forward to Lance’s visits now.

“I know my last name.”

“Oh. Cool.” Keith turned his attention back his book. Noted Lance’s continued silence. Looked back up at him. “Do you wanna tell me what it is?”

Lance picked at the skin around his fingers. “I don’t know if I should…”

“Well I won’t tell anyone.”

They met eyes. “You promise?”

“Yes Lance, I promise.”

The boy sat there for a bit longer. Squeezed his eyes shut. “Its McClain.”

For some reason this made Keith smile. “Lance McClain. I like it.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WORLD BUILDINGGGGGGGGGG

“Do your eyes really glow?”

Ah. There it was. The question Keith had been dreading. He had known Lance for a full year now. They hadn’t talked about any of this stuff since the day they met. It made Keith nervous. “Uh, yeah. I guess they do.”

Lance leapt off his bed. Crowded up into Keith’s personal space. “Can you show me?”

Backing up a bit Keith shook his head. Trained his eyes on the ground. “I can’t just switch them on and off.”

“Ah. My marks are the same. Allura can just make hers glow. She makes fun of me all the time.” Lance thought for a second. “What if we were somewhere dark?”

“I don’t think it works like that…”

“You’ll never know until you try!”

Lance stood, yanking Keith up with him. Through he and Allura’s massive bedroom. And Keith thought his room was big! This room was easily twice the size. Allura’s things dominated one half. Dolls scattered on the bed and floor. Clothes surged out of the closet. For some reason an ungodly amount of socks reigned supreme on the available floor space. There were posters for weird pop bands Keith had never heard of, pictures of Allura and her friends.

There was a large family portrait that hung above her desk. Alfor, Melenor and Allura smiled beautifully. Lance’s expression was more carefully guarded.

Lance’s side of the room was much… quieter. There were a few pictures tucked into the headboard of his bed. Of he and Allura. Allura and some new guy Keith hadn’t met yet, what was his name? Right, Lotor. He seemed cool enough. But he was older than Keith. That freaked him out a bit.

But the picture in the center of all those was one of Keith and his dog, Kosmo. Kosmo had just kinda shown up outside Keith’s bedroom window. The poor thing was cold and starving. It only took a minute to convince his dad to let him keep the dog. And Krolia could never say no when Keith got really stubborn.

Keith was little confused by the picture. He couldn’t remember Lance taking it. But he wasn’t looking at the camera. He was smiling down at his dog. He didn’t say anything about it though. Didn’t want to make Lance feel bad.

Speaking of Lance, he pulled them both into his closet. Shut the door firmly behind them. “So, can you try?”

“Lance.”

“Oh Keith, come _on._ We’re friends. I’m not gunna call you names.”

Keith sucked in a breath. Ignored the strange feeling bubbling up in his stomach. “I don’t even know _how_ … usually it just happens when I get mad.”

“Try this. Close your eyes. And just really think about making them glow. That’s what Lura does when she wants to make her marks glow.”

“Ok, fine.” Frustrated Keith squeezed his eyes shut. Thought about his eyes glowing. He’d never seen himself when he looked like that. Some kids said he looked scary. And he didn’t want to be scary. Everyone hated him enough already.

Opening his eyes Keith sniffled a bit. “I don’t think I can do it.”

After a moment of silence Keith felt Lance grab his hand. Weave their fingers together and squeeze. “Its ok. I shouldn’t try to make you do something you don’t want to do.”

Feeling suddenly inspired (or maybe a bit stubborn) Keith closed his eyes again. Took a deep breath. And when he opened them again he knew it worked. He could make out the faint outline of Lance’s face. Saw the way his hair caught in the dim light.

“ _Whoa._ ” Lance put both hands on Keith’s face. Pushed in closer. This time Keith didn’t draw away. Lance continued to stare, a small smile on his face.

“It’s scary, isn’t it?”

“No.” He thought for a second, forehead scrunched in concentration, “Keith you’re beautiful.”

***

Keith picked up the pace as he jogged through the castle. Shiro was finally coming home today. This was as longest he’d been gone in a while. And Keith wasn’t trying to be dramatic, but he had missed his older brother more than he would admit.

Pushing through the doors to the throne room he was greeted by loud laughter. Shiro already had the masses eating from his hands. This is why he was going to make a better king than Keith. He had so much more potential. And the people loved him.

Shiro looked up and noticed Keith hovering in the doorway. “Keith!”

With a smile Keith flew forward and laughed happily as Shiro crushed him in a hug. “Good to see you kid.” He said softly into Keith’s ear.

“Missed you too.” Keith said, squeezing a bit tighter.

Before Lance came into his life Shiro was all Keith had. He was awful at making friends; the constant bullying didn’t help matters. He relied on his brother for a lot. Stuck to his side constantly. Learned how to stick up for himself. When to hold his tongue and speak his mind.

Their people couldn’t ask for a more compassionate and dedicated ruler. Besides Shiro and Keith’s parents of course.

The crowd soon engulfed Shiro once more. The entire palace wanted to know what his trip had been like.

Adam stood dutifully at Shiro’s side, small smile on his face. He was a very quiet man. Extremely serious, but he fit Shiro’s personality perfectly. Helped stable the other man out when he was stressed.

The fact that he was human made some of the kingdom upset, despite the fact that their king was human as well. They thought Shiro would bring back a (mostly) pure Galran age.

The two had met in a piloting class. Shiro and Keith were both extremely talented pilots and taught seminars across the galaxy. Adam was one of the first humans ever enrolled in one of these classes. Most people, including Shiro, didn’t think Adam had what it took.

He proved everyone wrong. Outflew everyone in the class and then some. Challenged Shiro to a race. Keith still laughed about it. Shiro had been blown out of the water. Fell hard and fast for Adam. Spent the next two years trying to win Adam’s affections. Eventually won him over.

It took them awhile to set a date but they landed on one about a year from now. Shiro couldn’t wait. Talked passionately about Adam whenever he got the chance. Which was pretty much always.

Including now. Adam blushed lightly as Shiro bragged about him. “Kogane.” Lotor materialized at his side.

“Lotor.”

“My apologies for missing your parents party.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You didn’t miss much.”

“So I’ve been told.” Lotor shuffled a bit, “I had heard Allura looked stunning.”

Lance’s words came crashing back to him. _“_ _Lotor will hear stories about it for sure.”_

Allura was exceedingly clever, Keith had to give her that. “She did.”

“I’m sure you kept her entertained.” The faintest bit of jealously rang in Lotor’s voice.

“I danced with her a few times, sure.” Gave Lotor a quick side eye, “But we all know she doesn’t see me like that.”

“I would suppose. You have known one another since you were young.”

“So have you.” Keith quirked a brow, “You met her shortly after I did.”

Lotor huffed, growing more irritated by the second, “Exactly my point.”

Oh. So that’s what he was getting at. Surely Lotor was not so insecure that he thought Allura only say him as a childhood friend. Keith took that role on well enough. “You think too much.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said what I said.” Keith smirked and floated away, ignoring Lotor’s protests behind him.

***

Shiro hunted down Keith a few hours later. Sweating on the training floor. He’d been at it for a while now. He told Ulaz he would continue to train while he was gone. And Thace would be coming back with Ulaz this time around. The ever-elusive husband and high-ranking member of the Blades. Keith had met Thace once, years ago. Back when he was younger and didn’t care as much.

But getting to meet Thace now, it would be a great honor. And he might finally give Keith that final push he needed to join the Blades for real. A dream of his since he was extremely young.

He’d found out he was compatible with his mother’s blades when he was four. He sat in his fair share of boring meetings from the time he was born. His mother brought him to a meeting of the Blades. Keith could still remember staring up in fascination at the other members of the Blades. The armor, the serious way they spoke, it was memorizing.

Krolia accidently left a blade within reach of Keith’s small, pudgy hands and naturally he reached out to touch it. In the mad scramble to get the knife away from the small child everyone present in the room watched as it responded to Keith and formed a much larger blade.

It hadn’t crossed Krolia’s mind to test her sons, as they had human blood running through their veins. She was horribly pleased to be proven wrong. Since then he’d been working with mother and various other members to hone his skills.

Everyone thought Shiro would be compatible with the blades as well but when he tried they wouldn’t respond. He’d been eleven at the time and it had actually been quite the blow to Shrio’s confidence.

Even now Keith knew it could be a sore spot. Shiro’s focus had always been on taking the throne one day. Those worries never bothered Keith. For one he was the second born son. And as soon as that blade glowed at his touch Keith knew his destiny lay somewhere else.

“What’s up?” Keith asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Mom told me you’ve been down here a lot lately.”

He shrugged. “Yeah well. Thace is coming back with Ulaz.”

“That’s a pretty big deal.”

“Yeah it is.” He leveled his brother with a look, “And you’ve been MIA lately so I’ve been bored.”

“Don’t you have _any_ other friends?”

“I mean… not really.”

“What about Lance?”

For some reason the question made Keith tense. Lance had been true to his word; he and Allura had left after that ill-fated meeting in the gardens. Lance hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye. He probably couldn’t stand the sight of Keith anymore. 

He kept replaying that conversation over and over in his head. Lance had acted like his normal self. Up until Keith used his true last name. It had to have been that. It never used to upset Lance when they were kids. In fact Lance insisted that Keith use McClain instead. “You’re the only person in the _galaxy_ I can be really real around.” He had explained.

“Earth to Keith!”

“Ah.” He blinked, focusing back on Shiro. “Sorry. I’ve been out of it recently.”

“I can tell.” Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. “Did something happen between you and Lance?”

Keith plopped down on the floor. Shrugged. “I wish I could tell you. We hardly ever talk and when we do I always say something to fuck it up.”

“That doesn’t seem like you two. You used to be joined at the hip.”

Again Keith shrugged. A little helplessly. Because yeah, he missed Lance. More than he liked to admit. But it hurt to think about. Keith felt abandoned. Pushed to the side. He thought Lance would be different. That they’d always have each other’s backs. Guess Keith wasn’t interesting enough anymore.

“Have you tried talking to him?”

“Would you believe dad told me the same thing?”

Shiro chuckled. Came and sat on the floor next to Keith. “It’s a very simple solution to your predicament.”

“I don’t know.” Keith fiddled with his training uniform; “He’s made it pretty clear. That he’s done with me, ya know?”

“Never say never.”

Changing the subject Keith asked, “So can you finally tell me where the hell you’ve been?”

“Yeah sure.” Shiro fully lay down the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “You know some of the other kingdoms have been antsy lately, about the outer systems.”

“You were sent on a spy mission?” Even more reason Keith was angry that he didn’t get to go.

“Not a spy mission.” Shiro laughed and reached up to ruffle Keith’s hair, “A diplomatic one. I was in charge of asking discreet questions to the right people. Get some people on the inside out there.”

“Is there actually something going on in the outer systems? I thought everyone was just being paranoid.”

“We still aren’t sure. But there have been some rumblings. Sounds like some bad people are trying to come out of hiding.”

“Weird.”

“Yeah I know. I had to delay coming home because more correspondence kept coming in. We’re trying to keep an eye on everything.”

“Just mom and dad?”

Shiro shook his head. “Na. Alfor and Melenor are in on it too. Oh, and Lotor’s parents.”

Even weirder. Lotor’s parents weren’t the most popular of aliens. Zarkon was known to be strict and condescending. And Honvera was so wrapped up in her research that she hardly ever saw the light of day.

Lotor turned out pretty ok in spite of his strange upbringing.

“Are you going to have to leave again soon?”

“Not for a while. Any more intel will come to the castle here. If we get a major hit in a different part of the system then I’ll probably have to go.”

“I wish mom and dad would let me go with you.” Keith said stubbornly.

Shiro shrugged. Sat up and adjusted his shirt. “They want to wait till the time is right.”

“What does that even _mean_? I’m 22 now. You were younger than me when you started doing this kind of stuff.”

“Its different when you aren’t first in line for the throne. Much as I hate to say it.”

Shiro was right. He always was. (It was fucking annoying.) Keith rolled his eyes and stood up. Rolling out his neck. “I’m glad you’ll be home for a while.”

“Yeah me too kid.” Shiro got up and went to leave. Stopped and looked back at Keith, “And just talk to Lance, will ya? Clear the air.”

“Yeah, whatever you say.” As Keith watched his brother leave he knew he wouldn’t uphold that promise. 

***

Keith couldn’t sleep. He’d been listening to his dog snore for hours. Maybe that was the problem.

Rolling over he fumbled around until he found his communicator. Hardly ever used the thing but he needed a distraction.

He kept thinking about what he and Shiro had talked about. Feeling a little nostalgic he clicked open a folder of old pictures. Scrolled way up to the top. Almost every picture he had were of he and Lance. Growing up together.

There was one in particular he was looking for. And when he found it his heart stuttered a bit in his chest. The picture wasn’t that old. Maybe five or so years. But it felt like a lifetime ago. It was taken on Lance’s birthday. _His_ birthday, not Allura’s. Even when they were little Allura and Lance celebrated their birthdays on the same day. To better perpetuate the myth that they were twins. Keith couldn’t ever figure out why Alfor and Melenor went along with the lie, and Lance wasn’t about to tell him.

The Keith in the picture was smiling. So wide his dimple made an appearance. And Lance… he had been smiling too. Wasn’t quite as a big as Keith’s but it was more content. Like he was at peace in that moment. He was holding the gift Keith had given him. A bracelet. A simple golden band. It had Lance’s real birth date etched on the inside.

The bracelet hadn’t overstepped bounds now. But now that Keith thought about it he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Lance wearing the bracelet. He used to wear it all the time.

A little fed up with staring at his own face Keith went to some of his old message streams. There was one with Shiro. Another with Adam. A group chat with his friends from Earth. Pidge had been pretty active on there lately. Keith felt guilty for ignoring his other friends. He fired off a message to let his friends know he was still alive.

Then he pulled up his message stream with Lance. They sent any messages in months. The last one from Lance read: _Yeah I don’t know. I think Alfor requested I get a new suit made._

Keith let his fingers hover over the keyboard for a moment. Hesitantly he typed out. _Can’t sleep. Going insane._

He pressed send.

His cheeks flamed bright red. He shoved his communicator under a nearby pillow and attempted to ride out the wave of embarrassment. Of course Lance wouldn’t respond. Especially to a message sent in the middle of the fucking night.

Much to Keith’s surprise his communicator dinged. Glancing up sharply he could just make out the screen glowing faintly under the pillow. He let another minute pass before he had enough courage to grab the device.

_Kosmo must be snoring._

He blinked a bit. Read the message again. And again. Lance had actually responded. And sort of even knew why Keith was still awake at such an hour.

Keith took a quick video of Kosmo snoring and drooling and sent it Lance’s way.

_Remember when your mom said it would be a bad idea for him to sleep in bed with you? Exhibit A Kogane._

A surprised chuckle fell from Keith’s mouth. Yeah. Maybe he could do this. Talk like they used to. _I don’t think I’ll ever learn. Why are you still up?_

_Just some stuff with family. Can’t shut my brain off._

Shit. Family stuff. The stuff that seemed to really set Lance on edge lately. Keith spent so long trying to come up with a reply that Lance sent another message.

_Lura’s birthday is coming up. She won’t let anyone rest lately._

_Oh I bet. Not everyday you turn 22._

Keith swallowed. Lance would be a part of the festivities for sure. But Lance hated birthdays. His fake one the most. One time he had pretended to be horribly ill just to miss out on the party. Lance’s actual birthday was only a month after Keith’s. And he’d missed it. Like the fucking asshole that he was.

Lance replied, _In my case I get to do it twice._

He could practically feel the contempt flowing out of the screen. See? Fucked it up. Without even meaning to. He desperately tried to think of a response. Kept coming up short.

_You going to that conference at the end of the month?_ Lance asked after an awkwardly long period of silence.

Relief flooded through Keith’s veins. He would try to make that last bit up to Lance. Soon. _Yeah. Parents said it would be a good “character building experience”._

_Well at least I won’t have to go alone._

Oh. _Oh._ Lance was actually going to acknowledge Keith’s existence this time around? It was almost too much to handle. Were they going to act like nothing had ever happened between the two of them? Or would their interactions be awkward and stunted, like this one? _Some of my friends from the Earth delegation will be there. I’ll have to introduce you._

_That’ll be nice. Haven’t met anyone new from Earth in a long time._ It went quiet on Lance’s end. Then another message flashed across Keith’s screen. _Well I should probably try to get some sleep. Talk to you soon Kogane._

_Yeah. Uh… you too Lance._

Keith cringed at himself. He really typed out “uh” like an idiot. Geez. This was going to more difficult than he thought.

But as he settled back into bed and pulled up a picture of smiling Lance he thought it would all be worth it.

***

“Honestly, Lance. Think of your family.” Alfor sounded tense. Angry.

Keith stopped short. Hand hovering over the doorknob to Lance’s bedroom. Lance said something in reply but his voice was too low and too nervous for Keith to make out fully.

“We have only wanted what is best for you.”

“I know, father.”

Keith flinched. Lance only ever called his adoptive parents by those names when directly faced with them. He must be more nervous than Keith originally thought. “You _will_ be present at tonight’s ball. It is not just for Allura. But for the both of you. This is the end of this discussion, do you understand?”

“Yes father.”

Leaping away from the door Keith went and hid around a corner. Listened until he couldn’t hear Alfor’s heavy footfalls anymore. Then he carefully crept back up to Lance’s door. Slipped inside the room.

He had his own room now. Allura complained about having to share a room with her brother and their parents finally relented. Keith found Lance sitting on the floor, curled up into a tight ball. “Lance?”

He flinched. Didn’t look up. “Did you hear any of that?”

Keith plucked at his shirt. “Some of it.”

A bitter laugh escaped Lance’s throat. “Sorry.”

His brow furrowed. Squatted down in front of Lance. “Why are you sorry?”

“For being born.”

That hit Keith square in the chest. He faltered, falling back on his heels. “Lance…”

The arms around his legs tightened. “Don’t worry about it Keith.”

They were only around 13. Lance already sounded so old. So defeated. “Of course I’m going to worry about it.”

“Why?” It was loud. Angry and heartbroken all at once, “Why do you even care?”

Carefully Keith reached out and pulled Lance’s arms away from his legs. Uncurled his body bit by bit. Bent down so he could look Lance in the eyes. “Because we’re best friends. That’s why.”

Lance was crying. Eyes red rimmed and vacant. Stared at Keith in disbelief.

At his silence Keith whispered, “I’m not ever gunna leave you, Lance. You’re stuck with me.”

That made Lance snort. A bit pathetically. But still. “Lucky me.”

“Yeah. Lucky you.” Keith pulled them off the floor. Sat them down on Lance’s bed. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Sighing heavily Lance picked at a stray string on his pants. “All I said was that I didn’t want to go to Lura’s birthday ball. Ya know. Because it’s _hers._ And I hate pretending.”

“Alfor got angry over that?”

“Not really angry… just disappointed.”

“He still said awful things to you.”

“Because I hurt him first.” Lance looked up at Keith, “Ya know. By trying to hide.”

Keith studied those blue eyes for a long moment. Then asked quietly, “Do you really wish you were never born?”

Lance looked forward. Stared at the wall. Said simply, “Sometimes.”

“But Lance… why?”

“Hm. I don’t know. I love Alfor and Melenor and Allura. So much. I owe them everything I have. But at the same time I wish I could give it all back.” His eyes went glassy. “If they had waited a week, no even a couple of _days_ they wouldn’t have needed to adopt me in the first place.”

It went quiet. Keith listened to Lance pull breath. It was still a little too fast. Panicked. He had heard the story before. Alfor and Melenor spending months visiting orphanages across the galaxy. Searching for not only their first child but also the heir to the throne. Stumbling upon Lance, left at the steps of an orphanage mere hours after he was born. A small note pinned to the blankets wrapped around him. One printed word- _McClain._

They told Lance they fell in love in an instant. His screaming, pudgy face. Blue Altean marks shining in the small baby’s panic. They went home with him the same day.

A week later Melenor discovered she was pregnant with Allura. The royal family kept to themselves during Melenor’s pregnancy and no one knew about Lance. When the two children were introduced to the galaxy many assumed they were twins.

  
Alfor and Melenor never said anything to put a stop to the rumors. Went as far as making Lance celebrate his birthday with Allura.

Keith wondered why they ever told Lance in the first place. That he was adopted. Why they told him his last name at birth. It only ever tormented Lance. It wasn’t a peace or comfort. Instead it made Lance feel distant. So far removed from the royal family that he didn’t see them as family.

There had to be a reason. For the cruelty placed in Lance’s lap.

“I’m glad they did.” Keith tried after a long silence.

Lance snorted. “Sure you are.”

“No. I am. Really.” Keith fiddled with the signet ring on his pinky finger, “Because if they never adopted you we wouldn’t have met. Right?”

“Yeah… I guess.” Lance squinted at Keith. Wondering if there was a point to this.

“I’ll- I, uh…”

“Spit it out Keith.”

“I’ll go to the ball with you. Tonight.”

Lance’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. He knew better than anyone how much Keith _loathed_ parties. “You will?”

Keith nodded. Determination swelling behind his eyes. “So you won’t have to be alone.”

Lance sat and stared at him for a long moment. Then a small smile broke out on his face. Didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was a step in the right direction. “Only if you promise we eat enough cake to make ourselves sick.”

He held out a pinky. Waited for Lance to wrap his around it. “I promise.”

***

Keith ended up puking in Lance’s toilet.

And Keith didn’t even care. Because Lance was finally smiling again. And laughing.

And that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God the first few chapters of all my fics are so painful to get through. I just wanna jump straight into the later chapters that are already swimming around in my head. 
> 
> Gotta establish shit before we can get to the good stuff folks. So I beg of you, bear with me. 
> 
> Also Lance needs a hug.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. I had an idea at 3 am and I said "yes. let me put this out into the world."
> 
> I can't promise super consistent updates with this but bear with me. This is more of a writing experiment than anything 
> 
> See y'all next chapter


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